Lived Experience Forum

[730]

Hi

I was wondering if anyone has tried ECT. I am going to talk to my doctors about and was just wonder if anyone has tried it and the pros and cons

Thanks 7:30

[kristin]

Hi @730 

Sorry I can't help with this one I'm afraid, but our resident "expert" who's willing to share his own experiences about ECT is @kenny66 . In the meantime you might find it helpful to use the forum search function for ECT and read some of the posts, there's a bit about it from Kenny here.

Kind regards, 

Kristin

[kenny66]

Hi 730

Yes I have given ECT a go more than once and its part of the suite of things I have available ot help my MI.

Truth is that a lot of people have the impression that its like the old electric shock therapy, when in fact its nothing like that.

You just get put under lightly and a number of seizures are induced. I have done 6 sessions over a couple of months but they are sometimes done over shorter periods of time. There's nothing scary about it at all.

I am not aware of your diagnosis but my shizoaffective has a big mood component and I found it significantly helped low mood.

I have heard that people have had instances of forgotten memories reactivated but that didn't happen to me. I personally found it very beneficial.

kenny

[ivana]

I havn't tried ECT but I was just wondering whether you had consider TMS also?

[kenny66]

I did have a discussion about TMS with my Dr. I know it is used in the treatment of manic depression and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

At some point in time I may look at having the procedure, maybe after I see how sucessful the ECT is.

I unsdertand ECT and TMS can be complimentary but from what I understand is that they are quite different.

Like everything, benefits have to be weighed up from both.

kenny

[Alessandra1992]

The other point is that TMS is not available everywhere in Australia..I have just been reading an article on TMS and research is positive about its efficacy, but in the UK article I was reading it costs something like £2000 per session, yes that is nearly $4,000 Australian.. So not exactly affordable in UK, seems to be a private patient option in the UK..

[kenny66]

I did speak to my private health insurer and they definitely dont cover it.

They advise its not indicated for schizophrenia, so thats me out. I dont think you could get it throught the public system like you can ECT.

Its a bit like my mood control drugs which are also an anti convulsant. The PBS wont pay for them because they arent indicated for Schizoaffective.

If you dont have epilepsy you pay up to $200 for them. I have epilepsy so I dont get hit for this cost.

[PeppiPatty]

@kenny66

can you write the difference of positive and negative symptoms of Schizophrenia? My Dad told me that my ex husband displays positive symptoms but never understood it

[kenny66]

Sure

I can only tell you from my schizoaffective point of view but its quite similar to schizophrenia. Schizoaffective has a strong bipolar element with the schizophrenia combined.

Maybe its clearer if I tell you my positive and negative symptoms so you understand from the person with the MI.

There's plenty of stuff on the web that can give you a clinical definition but its not that informative really in a practical sense.

My main positive symptoms are delusions and hallucinations.

For example sometimes I think that people I pass in the street are talking about me to each other and are having a conversation discussing both my good and bad points-even when they could not possibly know one another. I talk this through with my psych and mental health team and I can follow that they can demonstrate this could not possibly happen and I argue with them that it does. This is my paranoia creeping in.

Medicated this is suppressed but I still have instances where things such as that come into my head and I cant be convinced otherwise. 

I went through a period over some long time where I thought I could make myself invisable with some consequential disasters. This occasionally resurrects itself.

It seems quite humorous to talk about it but I got myself into a lot of sticky situations because of that.

With the hallucinations I have auditory running commentary usually two people discussing me, my faults and attributes. This is very disconcerting if it comes onto you when you are socialising. Sometimes the conversation can be very angry and spiteful and sometimes quite pleasant.

Visually I sometimes see things not there, like my house filling up with bats or a rug turning into a wolf as a morphed entity etc. and all of the jazz which goes hallucinations.

Occasionally I lose my cognitive ability and start talking all over the place making no sense. During these times I cant read-count or speak in a logical fashion. I also do some strange things like take of into the bush, but I always come back.

 The negative symptoms are just what they say, negative and generally really horrible. I have been through periods where I cant move or react to anything much-you sort of cant feel happy or sad and worst of all you don't feel love-you don't recognise it and worst of all you dont give it.

A big lack of emotion.

So that's pretty well it in a nutshell.

For me though I am rarely manically depressed but more likely in a state of mania where I don't sleep and don't eat and do everything in a frenzy. Its at these times i go into that multiple dimensional world hyped up on seratonin.

I hope it gives you a bit of an overview of the diverse world of the schizophrenic and maybe you can understand the syptoms a bit.

Kenny

[ivana]

Sorry OP that this is a bit off track.

Kenny-do you think the auditory symptoms really are auditory hallucinations or have you considered they could be just your hypercritical mind?
Ie:when people have severe social anxiety,whether with Schizoaffective disorder or not,their brain often does have a "running commentary" that is going on while they are attempting to have a "social engagement"
Like instead of being able to just focus on the conversation,their brain/inner voice might go "they don't like me" or "they are judging me" etc and then another part say "but I'm a nice person" or "I have things to other" etc...